This week, we are diving into Facade and the Circular Economy.

Our guest is Miguel Fernandez of GL&SS, out of the UK.

GL&SS are a structural engineering practice with considerable experience in the design of both building structures and facades.

The practice was founded by Tim Macfarlane in 1985 as Dewhurst Macfarlane and Partners and the current name was adopted in 2012.

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The facade industry, as part of the broader construction sector, is facing significant challenges in improving the sustainability of its products. Various strategies have been implemented to meet the sustainability targets set by initiatives like the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the UK's Net Zero 2050 goals. One such strategy is the application of circular economy principles to the facade industry.

Traditionally, the facade industry has followed a linear approach: raw materials were extracted from natural resources, manufactured, and installed, then discarded once the facade's lifecycle ended. At the end of their lifespan, most facade products were demolished and sent to landfills as waste.

This 'Take-Make-Dispose' strategy results in unsustainable resource consumption and contributes to a large carbon footprint. Estimates suggest that construction accounts for around 30% of global CO2 emissions.

Shifting to a circular economy model is crucial for the future of the facade industry.

A circular economy is one in which materials are continuously reused, preventing them from becoming waste, while also regenerating natural systems. This approach addresses climate change and other challenges like biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste generation.

For the building industry, the circular economy offers significant potential. In a high-growth, high-waste sector such as the built environment, adopting circular principles can unlock substantial value. For investors and construction clients, it leads to improved returns on investment while also helping to meet carbon emissions targets.

The circular economy is based on three principles, driven by design:

·       Eliminate waste and pollution.

·       Circulate products and materials (at their highest value)

·       Regenerate nature

The facade industry plays a significant role in resource consumption and waste generation within the construction sector. The production of key materials used in facade fabrication, such as glass, steel, and aluminum, involves energy-intensive processes that have a high carbon footprint, along with the environmental impact of raw material extraction. Under the current linear model, the facade industry fails to recover a meaningful amount of the energy and materials used throughout a building's lifecycle.

To date, the industry's efforts have largely focused on improving energy efficiency in buildings through measures such as energy-saving regulations (e.g., U-value, G-value) and integrating energy-generating elements like PV panels. However, to achieve Net Zero, the industry must also address the embodied carbon in facade fabrication—the emissions linked to the materials and construction processes themselves.

Adopting a circular model in the facade industry would enable the recovery of a portion of these resources, thereby contributing to Net Zero and broader sustainability goals.

Everything begins with an idea, an inspiration, or a concept—and that is where the design process starts. This principle can be fully applied to the circular economy and the facade industry. For a circular economy to succeed, its goals must be integrated into the core of every project, involving developers, architects, facade consultants, contractors, and others.

The circular model is based on three stages, which gradually increase circularity from a linear model to a fully circular economy.

Once the principles of the circular economy are clearly established, there are two approaches to achieve them through the design of façades: the Reactive and the Proactive.

The Reactive approach consists of the reuse and reuse of materials from previous projects. These materials could be from an existing façade or even not been part of the façade but reused in the new construction. A clear example of this type of construction is the Villa Welpeloo a project of Superuse Studios where recycled materials have been incorporated into the façade as part of the cladding and the supporting structure.

Another example from the same architectural studio is the Blue City Offices where the internal façade was recycled from the former building façade.

The Proactive approach focuses on the design of the façade using standard components that can be interchanged and replaced, that way the expected life of the façade and the building increase as the façade adapts itself to the new requirements along its service life, this should be a trend in façade design for the coming years, standardization and modularity are key factors.

The adoption of a circular economy model inside the construction industry and more specifically in the Façade industry is necessary to achieve the sustainability objectives of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) or the UK Net Zero 2050.

In addition to this, the circular economy approach represents an opportunity for businesses that should not be ignored by the private sector shareholders and governments, the need for incentives is clear to make the change of business model attractive and more affordable.

The change must start from the design and concept of the new building facades, selection of materials and systems, modularity and standardization.

Associate Senior Consultant

GL&SS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguel-fernandez-ruiz-35539b82/

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